11 answers, 5 from the United States's own official bodies, with a link to each figure.
About 49.6 million students were enrolled in public elementary and secondary schools in fall 2022, according to National Center for Education Statistics Fast Facts. Of these, 1.5 million attended prekindergarten, 32.5 million kindergarten to grade 8 and 15.5 million grades 9 to 12.
NCES compiles the counts from state education agencies through the Common Core of Data, so the latest Fast Facts figures lag by a few years. Private school and home-schooled students are counted separately. Enrollment is falling slowly because of lower birth rates, and NCES publishes projections in the Digest of Education Statistics.
The US average adjusted cohort graduation rate (ACGR) for public high school students was 87% in school year 2021-22, up from 80% in 2011-12, according to National Center for Education Statistics Fast Facts. State rates ranged from 76% in the District of Columbia to 91% in West Virginia.
The ACGR is the share of students who graduate with a regular diploma within four years of starting 9th grade, adjusting for students who transfer in or out. Some states changed diploma requirements during the pandemic, which NCES says may make 2019-20 less comparable. The national average includes imputed data for states that did not report.
Scores for 9-year-olds rose 4 points in reading and 4 points in mathematics between 2022 and 2025, while scores for 13-year-olds showed no significant change from 2023, according to the NAEP 2025 Long-Term Trend assessment from the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The 9-year-olds' mathematics score was still 4 points below 2020, and 13-year-olds scored lower than before the pandemic in both subjects.
The long-term trend assessment has used largely the same questions since the 1970s, so it is the best NAEP series for long comparisons. The main NAEP assessments of 4th, 8th and 12th graders use a different framework and give state results. Score changes are reported only where statistically significant.
Total undergraduate enrollment in degree-granting postsecondary institutions in the United States was 15.4 million students in fall 2021, 3% lower than in fall 2020 (15.9 million), according to National Center for Education Statistics Fast Facts.
The figures come from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), which collects data from every college that takes part in federal student aid programs. They include full- and part-time students at public, private nonprofit and for-profit institutions. Postbaccalaureate (graduate) enrollment is counted separately on the same page. More recent IPEDS data are available through the NCES IPEDS data tools.
The average base salary for full-time public school teachers was $61,600 in 2020-21, in current dollars, according to National Center for Education Statistics Fast Facts, based on the National Teacher and Principal Survey.
Base salary excludes pay for extra duties such as coaching. Salaries are set by states and districts and usually rise with years of experience and qualifications, so averages vary widely by state. NCES also publishes state averages from a different source in the Digest of Education Statistics, which gives somewhat different figures, so compare like with like.
The figures below use one definition for every country, so they can differ from national figures.
In 2017, net primary school enrolment in the United States was 94.6%, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Since 2005 it has ranged from 92.4% (2011) to 95.1% (2016). Of 134 countries with 2017 data, 67th highest.
The latest figure from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, for 2022, is 97.5%. Its high point since 2005 was 2021, at 101.2%; its low point was 2005, at 95.1%. Of 132 countries with 2022 data, 62nd highest.
According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, gross tertiary enrolment in the United States was 79.4% in 2022. That is the lowest since at least 2005. World rank, highest first: 22nd of 119.
According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, government spending on education in the United States was 5.4% of GDP in 2021. That is the highest since at least 2015. Of 158 countries with 2021 data, 39th highest.
The latest figure from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, for 2017, is 14. Worldwide: 91st of 130.
The latest figure from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, for 2022, is 95.7%. It is the bottom of the series, which starts in 2017. Of 127 countries with 2022 data, 74th highest.
Read on 14 October 2026. Definitions · Report an error